


Coagulated Soy Milk

by Cheryl_Lyn_Bentley



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Established Relationship, Hiccups, Kissing, M/M, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:07:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24321772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cheryl_Lyn_Bentley/pseuds/Cheryl_Lyn_Bentley
Summary: Takuto has hiccups all day. Zenkichi comes in for the rescue.
Relationships: Hasegawa Zenkichi/Maruki Takuto
Comments: 5
Kudos: 17





	Coagulated Soy Milk

The hiccups began in class. While Takuto was fortunate that half of the period was spent in the silence of quiz time, his lecture session weren’t as peaceful either.

“And that’s a *hic* wrap on basic *hic* flow of communi- *hic* -cation.”

While half of the class giggled, the rest were silent in either bored apathy or disappointed disbelief.

“*hic* Any questions? *hic* Concerns?” He spotted a stern face with a raised hand. “Nijima-san?”

“Your hiccups, sir.” She said flatly. “It’s a bit disruptive.”

“Please excuse me then *hic* everyone. Will a five minute *hic* break be alright with you all? *hic* It’s almost the end of the period anyway. *hic* Yes?” He said at the class as he packed their papers away decidedly and was on the way out without a glance back at the completely disrupted class. “Well then, class *hic*!”

* * *

His appointment hour with Akechi didn’t make much progress as usual, aside from his consistent improvement of being able to cook sunny-side up eggs without the yolks breaking. Today, Takuto thought to move their lessons forward towards stir-frying vegetables.

“Fifty-four. Fifty-five.” Akechi suddenly began reciting, in no way related to the carrots he was peeling. “Fifty-six. Fifty-seven.”

“*hic* What’re you counting? *hic* ?”

“Sixty. Your hiccups.” Akechi moved on to slicing his carrots with the wrong knife that the doctor had to gesture a negative to. “If you reach the one hundredth hiccup, you die.”

“Come now. *hic* That’s just an old wives’ tale.”

“It’s distracting.” Akechi bit down his bottom lip as he looked at his own sliced vegetables in discontent. “Do you know what tofu is made of?”

“Huh? *hic* Uh… Soybeans. Why? *hic*”

“Looks like my question didn’t work for you.” Akechi’s look of disappointment frowned deeper than he already was. “Try having someone tell you something you don’t know.”

“While we’re on the topic,” Takuto smoothly redirected the conversation as the teen looked sour by the minute. “Would you like to talk about your *hic* friend Watson?”

“No.” Akechi hissed and redirected all his focus on the knife than the carrot he was now crushing. In the end, Takuto had to split his own set of carrots so Akechi could start again. The crushed vegetable was set aside for another lesson for the future instead.

* * *

The hiccups haven’t stopped even by the slightest despite its sudden pause during his consultation with two other patients and its vengeful comeback with the rest of his free time before closing.

His phone-call with Zenkichi didn’t distract him very much.

“I’ve had the hiccups since morning and it’s not going away. *hic* I’ve already tried the *hic* paper bag, holding my breath and the sugar.”

“Have you tried drinking water backwards?”

“*hic* That too.”

“Tried counting to ten?”

“*hic* Done that. *hic* Is Akane-chan doing well? *hic* How’s her throat?”

“I keep reminding her to take a break from her hobby for a while.” Then there was a slight pause and some movement. Zenkichi lowered his voice so his daughter wouldn’t hear within earshot. “She seems to be serious in becoming a voice actress. I’m considering finding a voice coach in the future.”

“Tell her *hic* not to stress too much about *hic* pleasing her audience. Her health is priority.*hic*And her studies, of course. *hic*”

“Looks like you have to cut your spending on sugary snacks.”

Then the phone was being passed over by Akane’s request. Her voice slightly hushed—thankfully recovering from her strain. “Hey, Doc! We’re outside your building. Dad’s gonna drop by.”

“*hic* Now? Like, you’re *hic* now outside?!”

“We’re in the parking lot now. See you later.” Then the call ended, sending Takuto in a panic. He suddenly realized the slight smell of burnt onions still clinging to his shirt and his lack of a clean scent in general and wondered what his patients thought of him having the onion smell around.

He slid his window open to ventilate, forgetting that the air conditioner was still running.

* * *

A phone call from the lobby notified him of his quote-unquote patient coming up. He waited anxiously for Zenkichi in the waiting area of his office, taking one last glance over the unit and praying that the sanitizer he used would cover up his burnt kitchen-y smell.

He immediately reached for the door at the first knock to let Zenkichi in but unfortunately, the first thing that came out of his mouth was a loud hiccup of a greeting.

“Doctor,” Zenkichi chuckled. “Still hicupping, huh? Us coming to pick you up weren’t a surprise enough?”

“I’m happy you’re here *hic*!” Takuto can only squeeze his eyes shut in embarrassment upon seeing the ever smartly dressed police inspector. “Quick, ask me *hic* what tofu is made of!”

“It won’t work if you already know the questions and answers!” He stepped in after sliding the sign on his door to CLOSED. “Were you hiccupping throughout your consultations?”

“*hic* Not really.” He lied. “Don’t look disappointed!*hic* Shock me with *hic* something. Surprise me with something I *hic* don’t know!”

They both sat in the waiting area, keeping the only light on above them but even then, the lighting and atmosphere felt too on-the-spot and anxiously private. “Ah, you know Akane’s fans from her Patron-On? They give her fifty thousand yen every month no problem!” Zenkichi spoke, mostly impressed and astounded. “We had to open a dollar account for her today!”

“*hic* Goodness! Seems like *hic* she’s quickly overtaking us as *hic* breadwinners.”

“Right?! Ah you’re still hiccupping.” Zenkichi laughed amiably and Takuto can’t help but stay quiet. “Um… There’s this popular phone game that sends players another world and they have to fight Regrets with Aliases.”

“What?! You think it’s the conspiracy again?” Panic crossed his face, eyes darting towards the darkness of his office in apprehension. “Do the Phantom Thieves know?! We need to—!”

“Oh no!” Zenkichi realized his mistake and started waving dismissively. “No! I was only kidding.”

Takuto frowned until he remembered why they were talking while being seated in the waiting area of his office. “Oh…*hic* Right! Were you trying to surprise me?”

Silence. Until Zenkichi bowed in apology. “Sorry, I totally forgot you’re a… ermm.”

Takuto sighed, trying to ease the panicked beating of his heart. “*hic* I’d rather not remember how, thanks.”

“Wait! Lemme try again!” Zenkichi grabbed him by the shoulders and Takuto wasn’t able to hold back the startled squeak from his throat as he was forced to look at the other man in the face. “Uhm...! I daydream about you sometimes at work.” His face blushed pink and his glasses slipped down the bridge of his nose a bit. “I’d always think of what it’d be like to hold your hand in front of Kaburagi-san.”

Takuto felt a flutter in his gut and mimicked his superior officer’s stern tone. “*hic* Inspector Hasegawa, please keep your private life separate from your public duties.”

“I’ll hold your hand In front of the new cadets to see. And finally call you my boyfriend. Then go on a date with you every evening.” Zenkichi flushed redder. “J-just the two of us.”

“I want to tell everyone you’re my boyfriend too.” Takuto sighed. “So Ms. Chouno would stop telling me about the other fish in the sea she wants to match me with.”

Zenkichi huffed. “You’re better with a squid than a fish.”

Takuto blinked at the sudden jump of metaphor. “Huh?”

“Oh, uh… Sorry. That was ermm…” Zenkichi looked away and realized how long he’d been holding the other by the shoulder. “Inappropriate.”

“You were having inappropriate thoughts about me? With a squid?”

Zenkichi whined and waved his hands desperately to dissipate his train of thought. “Now it sounds worse when you say it like that!”

“*hic* Oh darn! It’s back again.” Takuto gulped and looked at the wall clock. “We should get back to Akane, she—"

Before he could react, Zenkichi drew close and sealed his lips against his. The warmth of his body so close to his chest made him weak at the knees and he caught himself in time by the leather upholstery. The moment he eased into the kiss, Zenkichi leaned forward and wrapped his arm around his waist. Takuto sighed as his mouth played against the other, trying not to be conscious of how his toes curled in his sandals as their kiss deepened. He couldn’t resist reaching for the other man’s hair, running his fingers through his tresses and caressing his cheek. And he realized Zenkichi had taken his glasses off before closing in.

He didn’t know how long they held each other because even when they parted, his mind didn’t quite return to Earth and he was left in a foggy daze.

“Is it gone? Your hiccups?”

“I ...I’m good, I think.” Takuto murmured, hot and slowly recovering as he clung to his lover’s lapels. “We should get back to your daughter.”

Before Zenkichi could grace a reply, an obnoxious hiccup spilled out of his mouth. “…*hic*…?!”

“Oh no, did I pass the hiccups to you?” Takuto steadied both of them upright on their seats again and returned Zenkichi's glasses on his face. “D-do you want to know what tofu is made of?”

Zenkichi hiccuped and groaned.

**Author's Note:**

> I could write vanilla stuff too..... I think.


End file.
